Sports
It's All About Timing for Newport Harbor Boys Soccer
With a new coach and only four returning players, Sailors will work on getting their act together before taking on their Sunset League foes.
With only four returning players, the Newport Harbor High boys soccer team will need some time before it can expect to find continuity on the field. But Juan Mares, the new coach, is hopeful his young players can come together to compete in a usually tough Sunset League.
The Sailors are trying to learn a new system under Mares' direction, so there is bound to be a learning curve. Also, one of the four returning players, Christian Ochoa, was only recently able to join the team because of his commitment to the school's football team.
"It's just going to take a couple of games to figure out what we need to do out here," Mares said before the start of the season.
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The biggest obstacle is likely to be the offense, as the Sailors have no returning forwards. The team struggled offensively in their scrimmage and first game, scoring only one goal in each. The Sailors dropped their season-opener to Saddleback, 2-1, on Wednesday. Sophomore midfielder Kevin Gomez scored for the Sailors.
Junior goalkeeper Rudy Reyes, another of the four returning players, had seven saves against Saddleback. If the Sailors have anything to hang their hats on it is likely to be their defense. They were able to keep the game close against Saddleback, which is the top-ranked team in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV coaches' preseason poll.
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"Our defense should be quite strong," Mares said. "I think our defense and midfield is our strongest part."
The other two returning players are senior defender Anthony Jovanelly and junior midfielder Caleb Candelaria. However, despite their lack of overall varsity experience, Mares likes his team's makeup. If they can gel, he is confident in their abilities.
"I think we're, individually, quite talented," he said. "We just have to make sure we mesh that talent well."
The Sailors will get plenty of chances to find that mesh during a busy nonleague schedule. The team will play in the Irvine tournament next weekend. They will also be among a traditionally large field at the Marina tournament at the end of the month.
The Sailors will attempt to improve on a 2-7 Sunset League finish a year ago, but it won't be easy.
The Sailors will host their home opener on Friday at 5 p.m. against Irvine High, then play host to crosstown rival Corona del Mar, ranked No. 2 in Division III, on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
